The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-02-23
DID NOT SUPPRESS 1T.
Why Lincoln's War Minister Did Not
Suppress Paper During the
Rebellion.

Mr.. William NJ Singerly, editor and
proprietor of the Philadelphia Record.
who divides with MIR. George w. Childs,
editor and proprietor of the Philadelphia
Ledger. the respect aud regard of the
city of Philadelphia. viii soon be the
owner of the fastest steel steam Yacht
in the United States. 1t is now being
completed at Chester by the best build
ers there. Mr.. Childs has never owned
yacht But then MIR. Singerly owns
several other things that Mr.. Childs has
never had. Both are alike, however, in
that each controls great independent
newspaper. that neither will ACCEPT
office and that each has had a station
named after him on the new Baltimore
and Ohio line into Philadelphia Their
paper mills are near these stations.
The Ledger does not use as much paper
nowadays as the Record The latter
has quietly won a circulation of upwards
OF 10000 daily, except Saturday. when
l20,OOO copies ofthe eight-page double
sheet" are sold for one cent a piece
This circulation is the growth of only
seven years, and that in conservative
Philadelphia, too.
Speaking of the Ledger reminds me
of story General Simon Cameron used
TO tell. when | was in Washington
during the war he said. MIR. George
w. Childs, of Philadelphia. called on
me one day and asked me whether I
had any objection to his purchasing the
Philadelphia Ledger. l said that had
none IN the world, and then asked him
why be came to me with such ques-
ton. He said that Mr. Swain, the own
er of the Ledger, had made my consent
an absolute condition of the sale of tho
Ledger. which Mr.. Childs was then try
ing to negotiate. said | did not
understand that at all; that / had no
interest at any time in the Ledger, or so
far rs knew in any other enterprise of
MIR. Swain. In fact | hardly knew Mr..
Swain except by reputation. However.
| repeated l had and could have no OBJ
lection whatever to Mr.. Swain's doing
anything that he pleased with his own
property. | offered to put this statement
In writing, seeing that Childs was not
quite satisfied. No, he said, Mr. Swain
wanted the assurance from my own
lips, and he would like to know whether
l would soon be in Philadelphia. 1t
happened that | was to be in Philadel-
phia shortly and | said so. With that
MIR. Childs departed. When went to
Philadelphia Mr.. Swain called on me
and asked me whether | had any OBJ
lection to his selling the Ledger to Mr.
Childs. None in the world'' said to
him as | had to Mr.. Childs himself;
but why do you ask my consentP''
do you remember said he, find
ing communication on your desk one
morning. when you was secretary of
war, from Secretary Seward directing
the suppression of the Baltimore San
for alleged reasonable utteranccs?'
Yes l said; but how did you know
about that? 1t was confidential Never
mind, he said. Il did know about il,
and did know that it was never exc
cuted because you laid the matter before
President Lincoln and brought him TO
the conclusion to which you had your-
self come, that it was unjust. Well, |
was Il part owner in the Baltimore Sun.
If you had suppressed the Sun Just at
that time it would have ruined me. /
made up my mind that no one should
ever get hold of the Ledger who would
be likely To use it to injure you. And
that is why | wanted to know whether
you had any objection TO Mr. Childs;
because if you have, he can't have the
Ledgcr.' ! told him had no objection
in the world to Mr. Childs, and shortly
afterward the sale was consummated. /
remember as though it had been yester-
day the morning when | found on my
desk mt the war department the letter
from Seward directing the suppression
of the Baltimore Sun for publishing
editorials alleged to be seditious in
tone. | sat down and actually wrote an
order to. the general in command at
Baltimore, directing him to carry out
the order of the secretary of state. Then
] stopped to think. ! remembered that
l had once owned a newspaper. little
one, to be sure. bnt it was all had,
and said to myself, What would have
become of you if your newspaper had
been suppressed upon the arbitrary or
der of some cabinet officer based on his
own construction of your editorial utter
ances?' As sat thinking tore up the
order | had written. Then | went
over to the White House, and showing
Stewards letter to the president. told
ham that / thought the course il sug-
gested would be arbitrary and unjust.
Pay no attention to it, he said, and l
went back to the war department and
pigeon-holed it in my own desk. =
WdShHqtOf1 Capital.